Place
Names

The
Stuck River (now the White River) derived its name from the Indian "Stuch Um" meaning
big fish. Historic Sumner Walking
Tour Guide describes how Sumner got it's name:The village was first called "Stuck Junction" and later "Franklin".
A local resident J. P. Stewart was instrumental in establishing a
post office serving the area
now governed by Puyallup and Sumner, and he named the area "Franklin" after
his hometown of New York State
When
the nearby post office relocated another one was needed in Sumner. The new
post
office was located at the Ryan’s home with Mrs.
Ryan as the first postmistress. The U. S. Postal Department requested
a new name for the post office since there were so many places named
Franklin and delivering mail became confusing. Three townsmen, John
Foundation, Kincaid, L.F. Thompson, and George Ryan could not agree
on a name, and each placed in a hat. A boy was called into the store
to pick one of the slips and it came out "Sumner".
Charles
Sumner was a Senator from Vermont and a popular statesman of the 19th
century
known for his efforts toward the abolition of slavery…

He was also with
President Abraham Lincoln at the Ford Theater in Washington, DC when
Lincoln was assassinated. Senator Sumner cradled
Lincoln’s head and held his hand until he died.